idea factory | Blerdy Otome

Is the My Next Life as a Villainess Otome Worth Playing?

Published on November 28, 2023November 28, 2023 by Blerdy5 Comments

My Next Life As A Villainess All Roads Lead to Doom – Pirates of the Disturbance – or Hamefura Pirates (because that name is a mouthful) has finally made its way to the West! Based on the popular light novel, manga, and anime series, My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! – Pirates of the Disturbance – has been hotly anticipated by the fandom! This otome adaptation features an original storyline and gives us two new romanceable characters: hot engineer, Rozy Lind and sexy pirate captain, Silva!

But, coming on the heels of Virche Evermore and Hana Awase New Moon, some otome gamers may be wondering, “Is My Next Life as a Villainess worth getting on release?” Well, thanks to the awesome folks at Idea Factory International, I was able to check out the game early and I have some thoughts!

Continue reading →

Birushana: Rising Flower of Genpei Coming to Nintendo Switch Summer 2022!

Published on November 30, 2021December 9, 2021 by Blerdy1 Comment

We are excited to announce that the visual novel, otome game Birushana™: Rising Flower of Genpei will be arriving physically and digitally for the Nintendo Switch Summer 2022. The Limited Edition contents will be announced at a later date.

About Birushana: Rising Flower of Genpei

Genji clan remains devastated by defeat. Hidden deep within the mountains of Kurama lives Shanao, the youngest surviving male heir to the Genji name. However, Shanao harbors a deep secret known by very few. The youngest heir to the Genji name is no man.

Torn between her duty to live up to the Genji family name and her desire to live a peaceful life, Shanao sets off in hopes to take down the Heike stronghold and finally bring peace in the country. Her adventure leads her to find new cherished relationships, as well as something deeper than the feud between the rivaling clans.

Continue reading →

Collar x Malice Otome Review: How Do You Define Justice?

Published on July 19, 2019May 25, 2022 by Blerdy3 Comments

These last few years have been pretty good to otome games fans, with tons of new English language releases of Japanese otome titles and two upcoming otome anime adaptations. One of the games that has been getting the most attention lately is Idea Factory’s mystery/detective visual novel, Collar x Malice. Within the span of a month fans were treated to an upcoming anime announcement and at Anime Expo 2019, Aksys Games announced that they would be releasing both Collar x Malice and it’s new fandisk, Collar x Malice: Unlimited for the Nintendo Switch in 2020. So, after dragging my feet for two years, I finally carved out some time for the game and I am kicking myself for waiting so long to jump on the Collar x Malice hype train. This is by far my favorite localization release to date!

Collar x Malice was published in Japan by Idea Factory under their Otomate brand of games in 2016 and release exclusively for the PS Vita handheld. In 2017 Aksys Games released an English language edition of the game. 2017 was a huge year for western otome games fans, with a ton of great titles making their way stateside, but of all of them Collar x Malice stood out the most for me. The game follows a rookie police officer, Ichika Hoshino living in Shinjuku.

The city is currently under a mass quarantine after the terrorist organization, Adonis commits a series of violent crimes known collectively as the X-Day Incidents. One night while on patrol, Ichika is kidnapped and fitted with a collar set to dispense a lethal dose of poison into her neck. A voice from the collar instructs her to investigate the X-Day Incidents and uncover the “truth” behind Adonis and their plans for Shinjuku. With her life and the fate of the city on the line, Ichika must rely on the help of five strangers, each with their own reasons for wanting to solve the X-Day cases. Together, they might be able to remove Ichika’s collar and liberate Shinjuku from Adonis’s grip.

Game Details

Genre: Detective | Mystery | Romance
Available for PS Vita | Nintendo Switch
Gameplay Lengh: 5-7 hours first play through/ 30-50 hours total
Cost: $39.99
5 male romance options
- Suggested Play Order: Mineo → Takeru → Kei → Shiraishi → Yanagi
Similar Games: 7’scarlet | Steam Prison | Bustafellows

Continue reading →

[New Release] Hakuoki: Kyoto Winds is OUT!!

Published on May 16, 2017 by Blerdy4 Comments

Hakuoki: Kyoto Winds is now available for purchase from Amazon (US) for just $39.99!! The game is a PS Vita only title, you must have the system in order to play it!

*Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, I receive a small commission from Amazon every time you all purchase something using those links. Also all images belong to Aksys Games!*

Continue reading “[New Release] Hakuoki: Kyoto Winds is OUT!!” →

Period Cube Shackles of Amadaeus Review – First Impressions

Published on May 15, 2017May 25, 2022 by Blerdy5 Comments

Period Cube ~Shackles of Amadaeus~ is a fantasy/RPG Japanese otome game developed by Otomate. The game was released in Japan in 2016 for the PS Vita, prior to it’s English language release by Aksys Games on April 28th. I’d heard some mixed reviews about this game from folks who played the Japanese version, but I like to give games the benefit of the doubt, especially when it comes to major localizations and releases (Norn9 does not count)… Period Cube is a commercial release, full retail: $39.99 USD on Amazon (affiliate link), which isn’t all that bad for what the game has to offer, especially when importing the Japanese version is double, if not triple that amount.

I seriously thought I’d be done with Period Cube by now, I honestly hoped that I would be, but life has been getting in the way of my gaming. I’m still working my way through the game ( a full review is still a ways off), but I’ve already cleared four routes and I have more than a few thoughts about the game… namely, WTF is with this MC?!! Plus, it’s good to get my ranting out of the way now… There may be some spoilers, but since I’m still playing through the game, there shouldn’t be any major plot reveals…

Game Details

Genre: Sci-fi | Fantasy | Romance
Platform: Amazon
Developer: Otomate

Continue reading →

[New Release] Period Cube ~Shackles of Amadaeus~ is OUT!!

Published on April 28, 2017May 14, 2017 by Blerdy5 Comments

Last July, Aksys Games announced that they would be releasing four otome game titles for western audiences and after months of anticipation the first title on the list, Period Cube ~Shackles of Amadaeus~ is now available for purchase from Amazon for just $39.99!! The game is a PS Vita only title, you must have the system in order to play it!

*Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, I receive a small commission from Amazon every time you all purchase something using those links. Also all images belong to Aksys Games!*

Continue reading “[New Release] Period Cube ~Shackles of Amadaeus~ is OUT!!” →

[News] Hakuoki Kyoto Winds Limited Edition Now Available for Pre-Order in NA & EU!

Published on April 18, 2017September 27, 2019 by Blerdy14 Comments

Hey Hey Heroes, Travelers, and Wandering NPCs, today, April 18th you can purchase the Hakuoki: Kyoto Winds Limited Edition set from the North American IF online store for $72.99 USD! The European IF online store opened up pre-orders a few hours ago and the LE can be purchased for £62.99!! Please note that billing for the LE will take place about 7 days prior to the game’s official release!!

Continue reading “[News] Hakuoki Kyoto Winds Limited Edition Now Available for Pre-Order in NA & EU!” →

A Year in Games: My Favorite Games of 2016

Published on December 29, 2016January 3, 2022 by Blerdy22 Comments

First, I’m baaaaack! Well, sort of… this is one of the two year end posts I told you all I’d be writing, I’m just posting it a day early since I’ll be on a plane back to DC on the 30th…

A little while ago, my dear friend Leafy asked me if I planned on doing a top games list for 2016 and at the time I gave her what I thought was a pretty solid, Nah… I’m terrible with lists and schedules so I go out of my way to avoid them when I can. But, as we got closer to the end of the year I found myself thinking about all the games I’d played throughout the year; the good, the bad, and the meh titles and before I knew it this post kind of wrote itself! So here I am, a few days before the start of a new year running through my favorite games of 2016…

Now, I will say this in advanced, not all of these games were released in 2016, most were, but there are a few titles that were released prior to this year… Also, I am not including the Voltage games I played (save Liar), because I plan on doing a separate list for that. Finally, before ya’ll start grabbing your torches and pitchforks because your favorite game isn’t on the list, or you don’t agree with my picks, remember this is my list, if you have suggestions feel free to tell me about them in the comments section (I am always open to game suggestions)! *claps hands* Let’s get this show on the road!!

Continue reading “A Year in Games: My Favorite Games of 2016” →

Amnesia: Memories | Ukyo Review: My Lover Has Had a Hard Time

Published on March 30, 2016April 30, 2022 by Blerdy30 Comments

Ukyo is my last route in Amnesia: Memories and it has been a long road to this point. Playing every route in a game is definitely a full time commitment. I have seen good, bad, and just plain ugly in this game. So after watching Ukyo kill the MC with absolutely no warning what so ever in just about every bad ending of the game, I was a little curious about how his route would play out. I guess I was expecting some big character revelation or something, perhaps even a little explanation for his actions throughout the game. And you know what I got? Ukyo’s route explains everything!

So, I landed every single bad ending this route had to offer (and there are SEVEN of them) before I could land even the normal ending. Ukyo’s route is not for the faint of heart, you really have to work to earn your happy ending!

*Side Note: I will not have an MC/Heroine section in this review. I feel that there just isn’t enough about her to fill an entire section in this game.

Continue reading →

Amnesia: Memories | Toma Review: My Childhood Friend is Kinda Crazy

Published on March 29, 2016April 30, 2022 by Blerdy29 Comments

I don’t really like childhood friend stories at the best of times and Toma did not leave the best impression. There is just something off about Toma’s good guy act. Even in the other routes I just KNEW something twisted lurked beneath his big brother persona. But, the first indication that this Toma’s routes was going to be an experience was the maxed out Suspicion. None of the other love interests start their routes with 100% Suspicion. Not even Shin, and he was accused of pushing the MC off a cliff. Toma’s route is just one big red flag.

*Side Note: I will not have an MC/Heroine section in this review…I feel that there just isn’t enough about her to fill an entire section in this game. I was actually really disappointed by the MC in this game.

Continue reading →